Authorities were called to the 400 block of North Maple Drive about 11:25 a.m. after a report that a man in his 40s was unconscious in a walkway near a building, said Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen.

When they arrived, they found the man conscious and breathing and took him to the hospital.

Rosen did not identify Heavy D as the victim. But another law enforcement source confirmed it was the 44-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers.

Los Angeles County coroner's officials said they would be handling the investigation into the cause and manner of the death.